Designing Mobility Policies for Vulnerable Users Employing the Living Lab Approach: Cases of a Demand-Responsive Transit Service in Ljubljana and Maribor

Pietro Mariano, Marco Trolese (), David Kastelec, Mateja Bitenc and Deja Jurgec
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Pietro Mariano: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, 20156 Milan, Italy
Marco Trolese: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, 20156 Milan, Italy
David Kastelec: Development Projects and Investments Office, City of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Mateja Bitenc: Development Projects and Investments Service—Project Office, City of Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
Deja Jurgec: Development Projects and Investments Service—Project Office, City of Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 20, 1-15

Abstract: In recent years, transport policy has strongly been oriented to develop more inclusive cities and to design mobility services aligned to specific users’ needs. In an attempt to guarantee an adequate level of accessibility, especially to vulnerable users, approaches based on the dialogue between public administration, operators, citizens and researchers (so-called “quadruple helix”) have been proposed. The two case studies presented in this article refer to the development of a minibus demand-responsive transport system, devoted mainly to people with reduced mobility, in the cities of Ljubljana and Maribor (Slovenia) designed using a Living Lab participative approach. In fact, urban mobility stakeholders were engaged in this process during the design and monitoring phases of the pilot projects. Their involvement resulted in producing positive outcomes: citizens actively participated in the projects, and the designed service was perceived to be useful and effective. Both projects were successful, as statistics demonstrate, and are expected to be confirmed and strengthened over the next few years.

Keywords: Living Lab; participative approach; DRT service; stakeholder engagement (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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